The Other Outsider
by weezerz2490
Summary: When Alice went to the Land of Hearts, she didn't go alone. What will happen now that there are two outsiders in Wonderland? And how will it affect the game?
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: So I haven't actually played any of the games, but I've read some of the mangas that were based on it and a few translations posted online for some of the character routes, so that's what this story will be based on. I'm not sure where or when exactly Alice's 'real world' is supposed to be, but I'm assuming it's some kind of alternate neo-Victorian world, so I plan on making a lot references to the Victorian society of London. I hope you enjoy the story! I've posted a link to a picture of my OC on my profile for anyone who's interested.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Falling**

* * *

Sarah Smith sat on a bench outside the kitchen with her eyes closed, sleeping peacefully in the shade. She was dreaming. It was hazy. She couldn't see anything, but she heard a voice speaking to her.

 _"… Let me warn you about something.  
Every game has its rules."_

"… Game…?" she asked sleepily.

 _"And those rules are cemented the second you start to play.  
But you probably knew that already."_

"… ah?"

The petite redhead furrowed her brow slightly in confusion when she thought she heard a different voice calling out to her.

"Sarah? Sarah!" the head maid snapped sternly, shaking the young girl awake.

"!" Sarah gasped as her bright green eyes flew wide open when she realized what was going on, and how much trouble she was probably in for dozing off. "Mrs. Jones!"

"Goodness, girl! You were out like a light! This is no time to be thinking of games. You ought to know better than to sleep while on duty." the older woman scolded her with a frown. It might be a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon, but that was no excuse. "Now, get up and bring this tea to Miss Alice out in the garden." She said firmly, pointing to the tray she had set down beside Sarah on the bench, laden with a pot of fresh tea and sandwiches. "Perhaps you might be able to coax her into eating something." She added with a sigh. Sarah looked down. They were both concerned. Miss Alice hadn't been the same, not since…  
Sarah shook her head and grabbed the tray.

"I'll do my best, Mrs. Jones." The young maid promised solemnly, determined. She had only just entered the garden, when she heard someone cry out in alarm.

"What the heck _!_?"

"!" Sarah gasped. 'That sounds like Miss Alice!' she thought, hurrying forward as the shouting continued, growing more desperate.

"Who the… What the… _!_? _Put me down! Since when do we have a chasm in our yard!_?"

Sarah dropped the tray and ran full speed, rushing past the gazebo to catch up to Alice, whom she could now see was being carried away towards a gaping hole in the ground by a strange man with white hair and… bunny ears? Sarah was dumbfounded for a moment, but she quickly snapped out of it when her mistress's kidnapper jumped into the chasm with her. Alice screamed.

 _"Miss…!_!" Sarah cried in alarm, leaping after them with outstretched arms. But her hands snatched only air, and the maid quickly lost sight of the others as all three of them plummeted deep down into the darkness.

"…" Blood Dupre was staring down at the ground before him in surprise. He had just been taking a stroll outside the mansion, when he happened upon the sleeping girl that was now lying in his path. Her creamy white skin glowed like fine porcelain against the black fabric of her maid's uniform, and her fiery red hair glinted in the sun like strands of burning ember. Her body was small and petite, but shapely and well endowed. Her slender hands were rough from work, but she was a very beautiful young lady. So Blood definitely would have remembered if they had met before. She looked so defenseless. He wondered who she was and what she was doing there. '… An outsider.' He thought, somehow sensing the answer on an instinctive level. "How interesting…" he remarked aloud as the young maid began to stir. Her eyes slowly fluttered open beneath those long lashes, revealing the vivid green eyes that had been hiding behind them.

"…" Sarah stared up at the extremely handsome man that was suddenly looming over her in surprise. She blinked and furrowed her brow slightly in confusion. "Um… hello?" she said, feeling a little dazed. There was something kind of familiar about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. "Excuse me, but who are you? What am I doing here?" she asked, furrowing her brow and glancing around, wondering where she was.

"I might ask you the same. My name is Blood Dupre, and this is my territory." Said Blood suavely, offering her his hand. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Sarah Smith." She replied calmly as she stood up and brushed herself off without any help. This guy seemed like a real player, so she'd rather not get involved, but she did give him a polite curtsy, since he looked important. They way he had phrased his description of the place was kind of ominous and more than just a bit suspicious. Despite his languid demeanor, she could tell there was something dangerous about this man. "I'm a maid in service to the Liddell family, and—Ah! That's right _!_!" she exclaimed suddenly, remembering what she had been doing before she woke up there. "Have you, by any chance, seen a kind but pessimistic young lady with dark-blonde hair being carried off by a white-haired pervert wearing rabbit ears and a red plaid jacket and waistcoat?" she asked urgently, dead serious. Blood stared at her for a moment. From her somewhat amusing description, Blood knew she could only be talking about one person.

"It sounds like you're looking for Peter White. But you won't find him here." He replied coolly. "You appear to be in a spot of trouble, perhaps you would like some help?" he suggested with a hint of slyness.

"Yes, any help would be greatly appreciated." Sarah answered gravely, giving in easier than he had expected after the way she had avoided accepting his help to stand earlier. "I need to find Miss Alice before something terrible happens. Do you have any idea where I might find them?"

"I might." Blood said, placing one of his hands on her shoulder to guide her towards the gate. "Do you have any idea how you ended up here?" he asked curiously.

"None whatsoever." She replied frankly. "The last thing I remember was jumping into a hole after Miss Alice and her kidnapper, but… the more I think about it, the more ridiculous it becomes…" she mused wryly, a bit chagrined. Did he have to stand so close? The mansion and the main gate had just entered their line of sight, when they heard someone shout. Blood thought it sounded like Elliot.

"What are you two doing _!_?" the hare yelled. "Don't be so impulsive, guys. I think that girl's a guest."

He was talking to the twins.

"Don't get in the way of our job, you chicken-blonde bunny!" Dee retorted.

"We don't wanna get our pay cut!" Dum added.

"Coming from guys that were just playing hooky." Elliot grumbled. "What are you, girl?" he asked the young lady that was standing with her back to the gate. She had straight dark-blonde hair, aquamarine eyes, and she was wearing a frilly blue knee-length dress with a white apron. Sarah stopped abruptly, staring at the girl in surprise.

"M… Miss Alice?" she said, looking positively dumbfounded.

"Oh, is that your mistress?" Blood asked. What a grand coincidence. He hadn't expected to find her this soon. Blood also noted that Peter was nowhere to be seen.

"Wha? I-I'm…" the blonde girl stuttered nervously.

"Y-Yes, that's definitely Miss Alice, but…" Sarah said, feeling extremely confused and more than a little startled. Something clearly wasn't right here. "But she's…"

"Hmph. I guess it doesn't really matter." Elliot said, pointing his gun at her neck with a click, cocking it and preparing to fire. "Gatekeepers, let me have this one. I was looking for an excuse to test this baby out." He declared with a grin.

" _!_?" Sarah gasped in alarm. "Stop _!_!" she cried, running to save her mistress, but Blood beat her to it, reaching Alice just in time to grab Elliot's wrist and redirect the path of his gun by readjusting his aim as the hare pulled the trigger.

"Easy, boys." He ordered coolly.

"Blood…" Elliot said, surprised. A bead of nervous sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"Miss Alice!" Sarah cried with relief, rushing over to check her for injuries. "Are you all right?"

"Eh? Huh? Who…?" Alice said, opening her tightly shut eyes to stare at the redhead in complete and utter bewilderment. "Who are you?" she asked, causing the maid to flinch in shock.

"What are you saying, Miss? It's me!" Sarah said with a frown, as if it should have been obvious. Alice eyed her dubiously, squinting a bit.

"Wha? Sarah _!_?" She shouted in disbelief when it suddenly clicked. "No way! What are you doing here _!_? What happened to you _!_?"

"What happened to me?" Sarah said dubiously, furrowing her brow as her frown deepened. "Nothin'! More importantly, Miss, what happened to you? Why do you look so…"

"Didn't I tell you to get my _permission_ before you kill on my land?" she heard Blood scold Elliot, causing her to stop short.

'Huh? Just now… he said something frightening rather causally, didn't he…?' Sarah thought, sweat-dropping. That was extremely ominous. This place clearly wasn't an ordinary mansion.

"Um… Thank you." Alice said a bit bashfully as she looked up at Blood, finally remembering her manners.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." He told her smoothly, looking down at the young lady with a smile on his face. Alice's eyes widened in shock.

"Miss!" Sarah called worriedly when she suddenly pushed him away and ran off.

"Hey! Where're you going _!_?" Elliot shouted after the fleeing girl incredulously.

"I'm sorry, please excuse us! Thank for everything." Sarah said politely with a quick curtsy before hurrying off after the other girl.

"What a rude tart." Elliot huffed, irritated with how Alice had treated his boss. The maid had more manners! "She totally blew you off, Blood."

"I think those young ladies are outsiders, Elliot." Blood stated calmly, nonplussed.

"Outsiders? Seriously _!_?" Elliot exclaimed, taken aback.

"Yeah." Blood said, smirking slightly and stroking his chin while staring towards the direction in which the two girls had disappeared. "How very… curious…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Previously:**

" _Um… Thank you." Alice said a bit bashfully as she looked up at Blood, finally remembering her manners._

 _"You're welcome, sweetheart." He told her smoothly, looking down at the young lady with a smile on his face. Alice's eyes widened in shock._

 _"Miss!" Sarah called worriedly when she suddenly pushed him away and ran off._

 _"Hey! Where're you going!_?" _Elliot shouted after the fleeing girl incredulously._

 _"I'm sorry, please excuse us! Thank for everything." Sarah said politely with a quick curtsy before hurrying off after the other girl._

 _"What a rude tart." Elliot huffed, irritated with how Alice had treated his boss. The maid had more manners! "She totally blew you off, Blood."_

 _"I think those young ladies are outsiders, Elliot." Blood stated calmly, nonplussed._

 _"Outsiders? Seriously!_?" _Elliot exclaimed, taken aback._

 _"Yeah." Blood said, smirking slightly and stroking his chin while staring towards the direction in which the two girls had disappeared. "How very… curious…"_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Welcome to Wonderland**

* * *

"Miss! Miss Alice!" Sarah called as they ran. "What's wrong? Why did you suddenly run off like that?" she asked, slowing down to a trot when Alice finally stopped to lean against a tree to brace herself while she paused to catch her breath.

'… Maybe it was weird to just run out of there without thinking.' Alice thought, too out of breath to reply right away. 'I have to calm down. It's not him—it's not…' she took a deep breath to calm herself. "I-It's nothing…" she said aloud. "More importantly, Sarah, how are you here? And why do you look so old?"

"Old? Beggin' your pardon, Miss, but you're the one who looks too young." Sarah retorted, sweat-dropping. Old? She was only sixteen-years-old, exactly as she should be. "As for how I got here, I followed you and your strange kidnapper down that large hole in the yard, and then I woke up to find myself somewhere completely different. Speaking of that rabbit-eared plank, where is he?"

"You jumped in after us _!_?" Alice asked, gaping at her in astonishment. "That's too reckless, Sarah!" she scolded the younger (well, she was supposed to be younger) girl. She appreciated the concern, but she could have died! "As for that _pervert_ —first he brought me to this strange place, and then he forced me to drink some weird medicine with a kiss! And then he just up and left me there!" she shouted incredulously, pissed off just thinking about it. "I tried to find him so I could make him take me back home, but you saw how well that worked out."

'Yeah, that was a disaster.' Sarah thought. "Well, that thing with the medicine sounds disturbing, Miss, but I'm glad he didn't do anything worse."

"Being kissed by that stalker was bad enough." Alice snapped moodily, oozing murderous intent.

"I suppose so…" Sarah agreed sympathetically. Stalker? "Don't worry, Miss. If he dares show his face again, I'll give him a good pummeling for you." She promised pleasantly with a smile, clenching her fist.

"Please do." Alice said seriously, knowing Sarah could probably put the hurt on the perverted rabbit far better than anyone else she knew.

"Huh?" both girls said, surprised when it suddenly became dark.

"It's already nighttime? I swear the sun was out a minute ago…" Alice remarked.

"It was, Miss. It was only the middle of the afternoon…" Sarah said, looking up at the sky through the trees in confusion.

"You know, that perv said this place was called 'Wonderland'…"

"Sounds like the name of an amusement park, Miss." Sarah said, sweat-dropping.

"I know, right?" Alice agreed, chagrined. Such a ridiculous name…

With no clue where they were or how to get home, the two girls ended up returning to the tower where the rabbit had harassed Alice together, hoping to find a clue of some sort. But when they climbed to the top of the stairs, they saw that they were not alone. Someone else had already beaten them there.

"Who's there _!_?" the man with long, indigo hair demanded, whipping his head around to face them the moment he sensed their presence.

"Er, us! Hi?" Alice blurted out in response, a bit startled.

"What are you doing here? Get out!" the man barked sternly.

"Please pardon our intrusion, but we didn't know where else to go." Sarah said, doing her best to remain polite despite the attitude he was giving them. "This young lady is Miss Alice Liddell, and I'm her maid, Sarah Smith."

"Sorry… I guess this is your home?" Alice continued tentatively. "I was just, uh, kidnapped by a guy named Peter near—"

"That's irrelevant! Leave at once!" the man snapped impatiently, grabbing each of the girls by the arm.

"Ow!" Alice winced in pain, while Sarah quickly wrenched herself free from his grip.

"Don't be so rough—You're hurting Miss Alice!" Sarah said angrily, pinching the hand he was squeezing her mistress's arm with sharply, forcing him to release her when he drew his hand back in pain.

"Leave!" he shouted with a grimace, massaging his injured hand. The redhead was a lot stronger than she looked.

"Hey!" Alice yelled indignantly. What was this guy's problem? "Believe me, I wish we _could_ leave! But we don't know our way home from here! And cut us some slack! Some pervert grabbed me and threw me down a hole… then he made me drink some weird medicine so I could go off and almost get shot! Sarah's only here because she tried to help me!"

"Medicine?" the man said, taken aback.

"Yes. From this glass thing." Alice said, pulling out a vial with a heart-shaped stopper.

"Then you… Oh, curse it all." He said uneasily, furrowing his brow with a frown. "I guess you're outsiders, then."

"Outsider?" Alice asked.

"The 'Peter' you mentioned earlier, do you mean Peter White?" he asked.

"That's right." Alice said excitedly, glad they were finally getting through to him.

"He smuggled you in without my permission." The moody man mused grimly, holding his chin. And not just one, but _two_! How in the world had he managed to pull that off? "Tch. That blasted rabbit!" he cursed in frustration. "I have no choice. Come, I'll explain things. My room awaits." He said grudgingly, leading them inside.

Despite his initial attempts to chase them away, the man was at least polite enough to offer them some coffee before beginning his explanation. Since there were only two chairs at the table, Sarah elected to stand beside Alice's while they talked.

"I am Julius Monrey, the owner of this clock tower." He began, introducing himself as he took a seat across from the girls. "Now, Alice Liddell and Sarah Smith. You are both _outsiders_. You're not residents of this country. I know that outsiders usually come here of their own volition, but—"

"I'm telling you, I didn't—!" Alice interrupted impatiently.

"Yes. You did mention that you were forced." Julius responded calmly. "It's also rare for us to receive more than one outsider at a time like this. I've never heard of someone being able to jump into this world using another outsider's entrance before…" he mused thoughtfully, eyeing Sarah critically for a moment. Something very strange was going on. "And it is dangerous for outsiders to walk around this land in ignorance. From what you've told me… you were in the Hatter's territory earlier. Elliot March and the bloody twins… are dangerous people who are quick to wield their weapons. I'm surprised you've met them and still have your head intact." He finished frankly. Alice and Sarah exchanged a glance.

"Um… about that." Said Alice. "They _were_ getting violent… but a guy called 'Blood' stopped them."

"Blood Dupre _stopped_ them?" Julius asked. "Odd, for a mafia boss."

 _"He's a mafia boss!?"_ Alice shouted incredulously.

'Of course…' Sarah thought wryly as beads of nervous sweat slid down the sides of their faces. No wonder that man seemed dangerous… She thought she had heard some key phrases being dropped.

"His crime syndicate family is known as the 'Hatters'." Julius explained. "Blood Dupre is currently in charge."

"I got out of there pretty fast after he saved me, but… He did mention something about not killing without his _permission_." Alice said thoughtfully.

"So, if he had authorized it, we would have been killed?" Sarah asked.

"…" Alice grimaced at the thought.

"Most likely." Julius agreed matter-of-factly. "That group isn't right in the head. You would be wise to avoid them from now on. I'll explain the other territories. Heart Castle is ruled by the Queen of Hearts. The amusement park is managed by a man named Gowland. You are here. The center of the three territories." He told them, pointing to their location on the map that he had spread out upon the table. "You're in what is known as… the clock tower plaza. This is the only neutral area. The other three territories are at war with each other."

'War…? I can understand why the royalty and the mafia are fighting, but a power struggle with an _amusement park_? Now that's just barmy.' Sarah thought dubiously, raising an eyebrow. From the look on Alice's face, it was obvious she was thinking something along the same lines.

"A triangular tug-of-war can drag on for a long time." Julius continued. "It's an unproductive game. The battle has nothing to do with outsiders, so take care not to get involved.

"So is this 'war' thing why everyone carries weapons?" Alice asked.

'Everyone? Does this mean that Peter bloke had one too?' Sarah wondered. After all, gangsters were professional criminals, so it wouldn't be that strange for them to be armed. She used to carry a knife when she lived on the streets.

"Well, partially. But you'll learn more about that later." Julius replied.

"Look, I appreciate you explaining this stuff, but I don't plan to get involved—I don't even want to stay." Alice said frankly. "We want to go home. We can go alone if someone just tells us how."

"Unlikely. Not alone, at any rate." Julius said.

"What? Uh… then will _you_ take us?" Alice asked.

"It's not that simple. 'You cannot go home alone.'" Julius told her. "It's a rule of the game that you, as an outsider, participate in."

"Not this game thing again!" Alice shouted in frustration. "You and Peter keep going on about that—"

"Miss!" Sarah said abruptly, pointing at the window with wide eyes.

"Wha?" Alice said, stunned when she saw what her maid had surprised her maid. The black sky had suddenly become a dusky rose color, and the clouds glowed a brilliant orange. "H-Hey! What just happened!" she exclaimed, jumping up and dashing over to the window. "It was just nighttime out there! But now the sun's setting again, and…!"

'It instantly switched from noon to night earlier too!' Sarah thought, furrowing her brow in confusion. 'What's wrong with this place _!_?'

"It's the way of this world. Calm down." Julius told the nervous and excited girls. All their squealing was starting to give him a headache.

 _"It's a dream."_

'… Dream?' Sarah thought, glancing around to see who had spoken.

 _"This is a dream."_ The voice repeated, echoing inside her head.

'Bugger all! Now I'm hearin' things?' she thought nervously, chagrined at herself. 'Don't tell me I've finally cracked…'

"… Dream." She heard Alice say aloud. Sarah looked at her mistress. She was staring out the window with a dazed look in her eye. "It's all just… dream. This is a world in a dream and…"

'Oh, I see…' Sarah thought. That made sense—a lot more than anything else they'd heard or experienced since coming here. Perhaps she was still asleep on the bench outside the kitchen. I mean, come on, a kidnapper with rabbit ears? And why else would Miss Alice suddenly look so young again? The real Alice should be five years older than her.

"If you want to believe this is a dream, then go ahead." Julius said, snapping them out of their thoughts. "Just beware. This dream cannot end unless you progress in the game. You could have returned home with your desire alone after you stepped into this place… Actually, you probably still can." He said, glancing at Sarah before looking back at Alice. "But since Peter White forced _you_ to drink that medicine, you must now play the game." He explained. "The point of your game is to return home. But 'you cannot play the game alone.' That's why you can't go _home_ alone. Look at the bottle again." Alice took out the vial for the medicine again. Examining it closely, the girls were surprised by what they found.

"Huh? It was empty, but… now there's something in there!" Alice said.

"I suspected as much." Said Julius. "First Peter White, then the Hatters, then myself. The fluid level increases as you interact more with this world's inhabitants. That is the key to the gate of your world. And the rule of the game is… 'When the bottle is once again filled… the time will come when you can return to your home.'"

"Oh, so that's what you meant by 'you can't go home alone.' It's because she has to meet more people here?" Sarah asked.

"Is that all? That sounds easy enough." Alice said, relieved. "Maybe I can get home sooner than I thought."

"… I wonder about that." Said Julius. Something told him it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Just you wait, Alice of mine." Peter said, watching the clock tower from a distance. "You'll be here 'till the end of time."


	3. Chapter 3

**Previously:**

 _"Huh? It was empty, but… now there's something in there!" Alice said._

 _"I suspected as much." Said Julius. "First Peter White, then the Hatters, then myself. The fluid level increases as you interact more with this world's inhabitants. That is the key to the gate of your world. And the rule of the game is… 'When the bottle is once again filled… the time will come when you can return to your home.'"_

 _"Oh, so that's what you meant by 'you can't go home alone.' It's because she has to meet more people here?" Sarah asked._

 _"Is that all? That sounds easy enough." Alice said, relieved. "Maybe I can get home sooner than I thought."_

 _"… I wonder about that." Said Julius. Something told him it wasn't going to be that easy._

 _"Just you wait, Alice of mine." Peter said, watching the clock tower from a distance. "You'll be here 'till the end of time."_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: On the Way**

* * *

"That Peter guy's the prime minister of Heart Castle?" Alice asked incredulously, shocked. "You're kidding, right? He's a pervert… and rabbit!"

"All the same, it's the truth." Julius said calmly. He had been telling the girls a little more about Wonderland while he worked on repairing some broken clocks. Sarah sweat-dropped. This world was really strange.

'Well, I suppose a corrupt politician is nothing new…' the maid thought a bit cynically. It was just the rabbit part that was odd.

"That place must be run by a group of psychopaths." Alice said, sweat-dropping. "At least now we know where he is."

"Were you planning to go see him?" Julius asked.

"I wanted to ask him why he dragged me here." Alice replied loftily as she headed for the door. And kick him in the crotch, hopefully. It was daytime again, so they should have no problem finding their way there. It shouldn't be that hard since there was only one road to the castle.

"Are you sure it's wise to head straight into a nest of possible psychopaths, Miss?" Sarah asked, following on her heels.

"It may be dangerous out there… But I'll be darned if I can't walk around in my own dream." Alice answered confidently with a smile.

'Uh… but, from my point of view… this should be _my_ dream...' Sarah thought wryly, sweat-dropping.

"… Please be mindful of your safety." Julius said.

"Hm… I guess getting hurt in dreams _can_ cause real pain." Alice mused.

"I've heard that if you die in a dream, it's possible you could die in real life too, Miss." Said Sarah.

"Eh? Seriously?" Alice asked nervously. That would be terrible. She definitely didn't want _that_ to happen. "Thanks for worrying about us, anyway." Alice told Julius. "We'll come back when it's night again."

"Do as you wish." Julius replied, and the girls excused themselves, closing the door behind them.

"Will we be needing a shovel, Miss?" Sarah asked with a touch of dark humor.

"Hmm… not today." Alice said after taking a brief moment to consider it, only half joking. "By the way, how did you get to be so pretty? What happened to the tomboy I used to know? And where did _those_ things come from?" she asked, eyeing her maid's full bosom with no small amount of envy. Did all the nutrients from the food she'd been eating since coming to live in their house go straight to her boobs?

"It's the magic of puberty, Miss." Sarah replied with a straight face and mischievous sparkle in her eye. It was a small consolation for having her vertical growth stunted by years of malnutrition. She was lucky she hadn't developed rickets.

The two girls hadn't been walking along the road to the castle for very long when they heard something moving in the bushes nearby.

'… What's that rustling?' Alice wondered. 'An animal?'

'That sounds big… I hope it isn't a bear.' Sarah thought warily.

" _!_?" the girls exclaimed in surprise when an attractive young man suddenly burst forth from the bushes.

"Ah!" Alice gasped, stumbling in her surprise. The young man reached out to steady her, but Sarah beat him to it.

"Whoa! You're fast." The young man said with appreciation. "Sorry, did I scare you? Are you okay?" He asked Alice with a friendly smile.

"I'm… fine." Alice said as she straightened up, a little embarrassed.

"Good." He said, smiling even brighter. Both girls stared at him.

'Why'd he come out of the bushes?' they both wondered, sweat-dropping. Sarah couldn't help but feel that there was something a little off about this guy.

"Can I ask you something?" the young man said on a slightly more serious note. "Do you know where the clock tower is?"

"Sure… we just came from there." Alice replied. "It's right over there."

"You can see it from here, sir." Sarah added as they both pointed to the tower, which was visible above the treetops.

"Hey, yeah!" he said, pleasantly surprised. "I guess I was closer than I thought."

"Are you looking for Julius?" Alice asked.

"And you know Julius!" he exclaimed with a smile. "We're buddies, him and I."

"Stuff happened, so now we have to stay at the tower for a while." Alice explained. Fortunately Julius had eventually agreed to let them stay with him for a bit while they figured things out, because the girls definitely did _not_ want to get involved in the ongoing turf war.

"You're friends, huh? What are your names?" he asked.

"I'm Alice Liddell." Alice answered with a smile.

"And I'm Sarah Smith, Miss Alice's maid." Sarah introduced herself humbly with a small curtsy.

"Well, nice to meet you, Alice and Sarah." He said with a smile. "I'm Ace, a knight from Heart Castle."

"You're from Heart Castle?" Alice asked, surprised.

'Well, that certainly would explain the hearts on his uniform and his sword.' Sarah thought.

"We're headed that way!" Alice said. "Do you think I can talk to Peter there?"

"Peter? You mean that guy has friends _!_?" Ace exclaimed, shocked.

"Not… exactly." Alice replied, exchanging a glance with Sarah. They probably shouldn't mention their desire to pop him one. "I just have to talk to him about something."

"Hmm. Well, he's pretty much always at the castle." Ace said. "But if you go alone, the soldiers might not let you in."

"Really? Although I guess normal people can't usually waltz into castles…" Alice said, disappointed.

'Right, even if Miss Alice belongs to a wealthy family, they're still only upper middle class…' Sarah thought. And she herself was so low on the social strata that she was practically scraping bedrock. "Is there any way we can get permission for an audience?" she asked aloud.

"I can escort you there, if you'd like." Ace offered.

"Would you really?" Alice asked excitedly. "But you have an appointment with Julius…"

"I think I still have some time before then." Ace said. "Really, it's no trouble."

"Thanks! We'd really appreciate that!" Alice said gratefully.

"Yes, thank you very much." Sarah said with another curtsy.

"…" After a while, Sarah glanced between Ace and Alice. The knight had been leading them on for some time, and she was beginning to feel that something wasn't quite right. 'Uh… is it just me, or does it feel like the castle's getting further away?' she wondered warily. Looking at Alice, she could see her mistress was beginning to wonder the same thing.

"Ace?" Alice said as the two girls stopped. The knight paused to glance back at them. "I thought the castle was in the other direction." She said, pointing to the path going opposite the way they were headed.

"Nah, it's this way! No worries." Ace reassured them with a grin.

"Hm. Okay." Alice replied a little skeptically.

"Okay is right!" Ace said cheerfully, moving forward.

'Maybe this is a shortcut or something?' Sarah thought as the three of them continued on. He was awfully chipper. But the scenery was starting to look familiar. 'Wait, isn't this the way to…'

"Crap—this is the Hatter mansion!" Alice exclaimed when they caught sight of the mansion's unique gates.

"Huh?" Ace said, surprised. "Wait a second. Maybe you're right… weird. But we're still good." He said, stepping forward to open the gate. "I think we can get to1 the castle if we cut through here."

"No disrespect, sir, but I think the only thing we'll be 'cutting short' if we try to go through there is the length of our lifespans." Sarah quipped a little nervously. She was pretty sure the mafia wouldn't be too thrilled with them if they were discovered intruding on their territory for a second time in row.

"Nonsense! Now, c'mon!" Ace said with a smile, urging them forward.

"Wait, Ace! Sarah's right! This place is really dangerous!" Alice said anxiously. The twin gatekeepers didn't seem to be around, but…

"Not _you_ again, Ace." They heard a voice say from behind. The three of them spun around to see that it was the trigger-happy guy with curly blonde hair and rabbit ears that had tried to shoot Alice before. "Those brats are slacking again." He grumbled. "What makes you think you're welcome here?"

'Elliot March!' the girls thought warily, recalling his name.

"Huh?" Elliot said when he noticed them. "You've got those outsider girls with you."

"You're outsiders?" Ace asked the girls, surprised.

"I-I guess." Alice replied hesitantly.

"Whoa! Really _!_?" Ace exclaimed in excitement, grabbing their hands as if he wanted to make sure they were real. "I've never seen one before! And there's two of you!"

'The men here are really extreme…' Sarah thought, sweat-dropping. So far they either couldn't get rid of her and Alice fast enough, or they had a hard time keeping their hands to themselves.

"Sorry about earlier girlie. And don't worry, I don't feel like shooting you anymore." Elliot apologized(?) to Alice. "… Plus, Blood won't let me."

'Well, thank God for that!' Sarah thought with a deadpan expression.

"Blood… huh." Alice said. The hint of blush on her mistress's cheeks as she said the gangster's name made Sarah wonder if she should start to worry about her.

"Anyway, Ace." Elliot said, getting back to business. "Are you finally here to face the Hatter?" he asked gravely.

"No. Why?" Ace asked innocently, dumbfounded. He was completely clueless as to how Elliot could have possibly come to that conclusion. "We're just headed for the castle."

"Son of a—you've got the direction sense of a blind lemming!" Elliot sighed with exasperation, face-palming.

'Huh _!_?' the two girls thought, taken aback. Sarah sweat-dropped, feeling chagrined. A blind lemming? _Seriously!_?

 _"This is our territory and the only thing past here is the mansion. How many times do I have to tell you that!_?" Elliot scolded the directionally-challenged knight for the umpteenth time.

"But there's a road to the castle past here—" Ace tried to insist.

 _"There isn't! Get that through your thick skull!"_ Elliot retorted sharply.

"Wait." Said Ace, stopping to think for a moment. "Did I go the wrong way again?" he asked sheepishly with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

'Again _!_?' the two girls thought, twitching. So he really was lost! 'Then… that explains why he was wandering in the bushes!' they realized, sweat-dropping.

"You're _ridiculous_." Elliot growled with a vein throbbing on his forehead. "I'd like nothing more than to put a bullet through your brain, and the cute act is only making me madder."

"Really? I don't mean to be cute." Ace said with a laugh, smiling brightly. "I'm grateful to you, man. You led me out of here last time too!" Sarah sweat-dropped again. He had to be doing that on purpose. No one was _that_ oblivious. "Honestly, getting lost isn't so bad—it leads me to nice guys. Like you!" A shadow fell over Elliot's face as he snapped.

'Uh-oh…' Sarah thought.

 _BANG!_

" _!_?" Alice gasped when Sarah suddenly leaned back, pulling her with her, as Ace held the girls out at arm's length and leaned back to dodge the bullet that had just grazed the lapel of his coat.

"You dodged that. If you never wanna get lost again, I can fix that— _don't dodge_." Elliot barked angrily at the knight, pointing his pistol at him again.

"But that's dangerous, man. You could hit the outsiders." Ace said calmly.

"Shut up!" Elliot snapped furiously, cocking the pistol.

 _BANG!_

"Ack!" Alice cried as Ace and Sarah helped her dodge the next shot.

"Go to the shade of the trees." Ace told the girls.

"C'mon, Miss! It's dangerous here!" Sarah said, taking Alice by the hand to lead her to the relative safety of the tree-line. At this rate, they would just get in the way. Besides, her first priority was to protect Alice.

 _"Eyes over here, space case!"_ Elliot yelled, thrusting his gun in Ace's face. _"Dodge this."_ He said with a smirk.

'He's so close!' Alice thought anxiously as she ducked behind a tree with Sarah. 'Ace is gonna—' Sarah tensed, wondering if she should intervene (or if she even had time for that), but it proved unnecessary.

" _!_?" Elliot said, taken aback when Ace swiftly ducked and removed his sword from his side, using its handle guard to hit the butt of Elliot's gun to parry that hare's attack as he pulled the trigger, pressing the end of the sword's handle against the hare's throat as the bullet fired harmlessly into the air.

"Hmph… I guess I should've expected this from a knight of Hearts." Elliot said, stepping back as a bead of cold sweat dripped down the side of his face. "I'll be more careful." He had to dodge when Ace took a swipe at him with his sheathed blade. "This is so annoying! Hold still!" the hare yelled, furrowing his brow. Ace's face, half cast in shadow, was eerily calm. A shiver ran up Sarah's spine. It had been a long time since she had last felt such intense killing intent. Even though Elliot appeared to be the more reckless and violent of the two at first glance, Ace was definitely the one to fear.

 _BANG!_

CLANG!

"Yikes! Someone's gonna get killed!" Alice fretted while she watched from behind a wide tree with Sarah as Ace deflected another bullet with his sword, which then hit their tree with a loud _crack_.

 _'… Maybe us!'_ the girls thought, paling slightly, as they eyed the smoking hole. That had been dangerously close to Alice's head!

'Somebody stop them!' Alice cried internally. She flinched when Sarah started rolling her sleeves up with a dark expression on her face, getting ready to join the fray and clobber the idiots for endangering Alice. "Not _you_!" Alice cried aloud, grabbing hold of her angry maid to prevent her from getting herself killed.

"But someone has to stop them, Miss!" Sarah said with a frown. "This's gettin' way too outta hand!"

"Well, well… Someone's causing trouble for the ladies again." A deep, velvet voice purred. Ace and Elliot stopped what they were doing immediately, and the hare flinched in shock, sweating nervously like a naughty child that had just been caught misbehaving by a parent, as they all looked over to see Blood strolling calmly onto the chaotic scene taking place just outside the gate of his mansion.

'Blood Dupre!' Sarah thought with mixed emotions about his sudden but timely appearance. She was glad that he had stopped the fight for now, but she wasn't sure how safe they would be after causing yet another disturbance in his territory so soon.

"Are we forgetting who makes policy here?" the suave mafia boss asked the hare in tone that was not to be argued with, holding his cane. "Elliot, we've already talked about this."

"B-But Ace… fury… argh!" Elliot stammered nervously, trying to protest his own perceived innocence in the matter. "Him! This is all his fault!" he insisted, whipping his hand through the air to point at the knight. "He can't keep his sorry ass from wandering in here!"

"Just show him the way and save a few bullets." Blood told him coolly. "Honestly." Sarah was relieved to hear that he could be reasonable.

"I've tried that!" Elliot whined. "He just keeps coming back, and it's driving me insane!"

"Elliot!" Blood said sternly, causing the hare to flinch as a bead of nervous sweat rolled down the side of his face. "I haven't assigned you anything a half-wit couldn't do."

"… Sorry." Elliot apologized, visibly wilting with his long ears drooping.

"…" Blood stared at him for a moment before turning his attention to Ace. "My apologies, Sir knight." He said politely. "Please forgive the rudeness of my subordinate."

"No worries. Ha ha!" Ace said with a laugh, suddenly brightening as if nothing had ever happened. "It's not like I'm mad. And he didn't actually land anything, so we're good!"

"…" Elliot grit his teeth as a vein popped on his forehead while one of his ears twitched at that last remark. 'Calm. Stay calm…' he told himself.

'He is so doing that on purpose…' Sarah thought, sweat-dropping.

"At any rate," Blood continued, "it's true that you shouldn't wander around here. Elliot and I will guide you to the castle. Now… Miss outsiders." He said, moving to approach Alice and Sarah, who were still peeping out from behind the cover of the tree. "I keep putting the two of you in dangerous situations, don't I? I'm very sorry. It won't happen again." He apologized smoothly with the hint of a sly smirk, offering them a hand. "Please believe me."

'I'll believe it when I see it.' Sarah thought jadedly. "…" Her brow creased slightly with concern when she noticed the way Alice was staring at the handsome mafia boss and how she blushed as she accepted his hand. 'Oh boy…' Sarah thought warily, a little chagrined.


	4. Chapter 4

**Previously:  
**

 _"At any rate," Blood continued, "it's true that you shouldn't wander around here. Elliot and I will guide you to the castle. Now… Miss outsiders." He said, moving to approach Alice and Sarah, who were still peeping out from behind the cover of the tree. "I keep putting the two of you in dangerous situations, don't I? I'm very sorry. It won't happen again." He apologized smoothly with the hint of a sly smirk, offering them a hand. "Please believe me."_

 _'I'll believe it when I see it.' Sarah thought jadedly. "…" Her brow creased slightly with concern when she noticed the way Alice was staring at the handsome mafia boss and how she blushed as she accepted his hand. 'Oh boy…' Sarah thought warily, a little chagrined._

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Heart Castle**

* * *

"Now _listen_." Elliot told Ace, irritated that he had to explain this again while he and Blood guided everyone to the correct path. "The castle is in the _opposite direction_ from the way you were walking."

"You don't say!" said the knight, already heading off into some nearby bushes on another detour.

"Hey! Don't get lost while I'm talking to you!" Elliot snapped incredulously with a vein throbbing on his head, grabbing him before he could get any further. "You have a real problem, dingbat! Get help!"

"Hahahaha!"Ace laughed cheerfully while Elliot dragged him back onto the correct path. Alice and Sarah sweat-dropped as they watched. It would almost be funny if it wasn't also part of their problem.

"… They're so loud." Alice mumbled. At least Blood's presence seemed to be keeping things from escalating any further. "…" She glanced sideways at the mafia boss as they walked. Blood took notice of this almost immediately. He also noticed that while Alice was watching him, Sarah was watching Alice, as if on the lookout for danger.

"You're staring. Is there something on my face?" he asked Alice.

"Huh?" Alice said, surprised. She hadn't realized she had been so obvious about it.

"And I daresay I felt both of you staring at me earlier. Gawking is a little… naughty." Blood told the girls, deciding to tease them a little. Sarah remained as cool as a cucumber, but Alice immediately became flustered.

"No! I just…" Alice gasped, blushing out of embarrassment. "Y-You look a lot like someone I know. I was so surprised that I ran away from you last time… That was rude..." Alice explained clumsily.

"I was wondering if you ran because you didn't like me." Blood said calmly.

"I'm sorry." Alice apologized. "Really."

"But now… after that last heated glance… Do I remind you of someone you _love_ , perhaps?" he asked seductively, leaning in close as he caressed one of her cheeks with his gloved hand.

"!" Sarah furrowed her brow, ready to jump in and intervene, when Alice slapped his hand away.

 _"… Hey! That's not true!"_ Alice shouted angrily. "That's not…" she said bitterly, lowering her head so that her bangs hid her eyes. Sarah's expression softened, and she stepped forward to gently place a hand on her mistress's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"You don't seem to be _lying_. Hmm…" Blood said thoughtfully as he watched them. That maid was awfully protective of her mistress. "Then I suppose you're no longer together?" he asked Alice.

"S-Sorta." Alice answered sadly. "He loved someone else. So he…"

'Oh…' Sarah thought as she recognized who Alice was talking about, and it finally clicked why she had thought Blood looked familiar before. 'That's right… he looks a little like her old tutor… that jerk.' She thought, furrowing her brow and frowning at the memory of that man and how he had broken Alice's heart by dumping her for Miss Lorina.

"… I see." Blood remarked coolly, observing the emotions in their expressions. He turned away and started walking again. "What a despicable cur."

"Excuse me?" Alice said, angry on her ex's behalf, though secretly Sarah couldn't agree more. "That's kinda ironic, considering."

"Because I'm in the mafia? But I'm a different kind of cur." Blood retorted smoothly with a languid smirk as he looked back at the girls. "Were it me… I would never let go of a woman with such passion in her eyes. I would cut off both her legs if she ever tried to leave me. And she could tear out my heart if I ever tried to stray." Alice and Sarah both stared at him in astonishment with a hint of blush on their cheeks. Sarah's blush deepened as she gave herself a quick mental slap for getting caught up in his words. Although she liked the idea of a faithful man who would never abandon her, she didn't fancy having her legs cut off. That was a pretty crazy thing to say, even as a joke!

"Heh." Alice laughed, smiling. "That's funny. In a… creepy sort of way."

'It _is_ … _!_?' Sarah exclaimed internally, appalled. Didn't she realize how dangerous this man was? That was a major red flag right there!

"I wasn't trying to be funny." Blood said, reaching out to caress a section of Alice's long blonde hair, sliding his hand down to touch the ends to his lips. "If you really looked at me with that heat, I guarantee you wouldn't regret it."  
"L-Let me—" Alice started to say as she tried to pull away, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the suddenly intense look in his blue-green eyes.

"Please do not act so overly familiar with the young Miss!" Sarah said strictly, coming to the rescue as she quickly freed Alice's hair and placed herself protectively between the mob boss and her mistress.

"Oh? You're going to interfere in our little affair?" Blood asked, mildly amused by the fierce expression on the young maid's face. "What's the matter, sweetheart? Jealous?" he purred, reaching out to caress her soft porcelain face, but the maid quickly blocked his hand with her own before he could even lay a finger on it.

"Mr. Dupre, I realize it isn't your fault that you bear a certain resemblance to Miss Alice's ex, but I think I speak for the young Miss when I say that we would be grateful if you'd refrain from any actions that might make her feel uncomfortable as a result. Please at least _pretend_ to act like a gentleman." Sarah deadpanned seriously, completely unfazed by his charms.

"…" Blood stared at her, somewhat disappointed by her reaction, though her resistance was a little interesting in its own way. She had a lot of guts talking back to him like that.

"Hey, Alice! Sarah! I think the mafia boss is trying to seduce you. Haha!" Ace laughed good-naturedly. Wow, two at once—Blood was really something!

"No, he's not. Blood's taste in women is totally different." Elliot said defensively on his boss's behalf with a frown.

"Really? But the mood was all… intense." Ace said, causing Alice to blush. "Too bad, boss man. They're trying to find _Peter_."

"Peter White?" Elliot asked, looking aghast. Blood was also slightly surprised to hear that the girls were out looking for the rabbit. "… Why would you look for _that_ guy _!_? _"_

"I just have something to ask him!" Alice said defensively.

"We won't try to stop you…" said Blood. "… But be warned that he's a dangerous man."

"Uh… right." Alice said hesitantly, exchanging a look with Sarah. To hear a mafia boss say something like that was disconcerting. Was that rabbit-eared pervert really that dangerous?

"Well, should something happen… that knight will probably protect you." Blood said, holding his chin as he cast a glance at Ace.

"?" Alice said as the girls turned to look at the smiling knight. Sarah hoped Blood was right. She didn't fancy having to fight off an entire castle if something went wrong.

They continued a little further on in silence after that before the castle came into view on the ridge ahead.

"We're almost to the castle." Elliot said. "Your names are Alice and Sarah, right?"

"Yeah." Alice replied.

"Alice and Sarah, _you_ can come over to our place later, if you want." He told them with a smile.

"And next time we'll give the two of you a proper guest's welcome." Blood added charmingly. "I'll be waiting, ladies."

"…" Alice's cheeks glowed with a touch of blush again as they watched the two gangsters walk away. They had brought the girls and Ace near enough to the castle gates so that even the knight couldn't get lost, and the two of them were allowed entrance as his guests. Sarah was a little unnerved to see that none of the other castle employees and servants seemed to have a face.

"Welcome home, Sir Ace!" two uniformed maids greeted him.

"It's good to be back." Ace responded with a friendly smile and a wave.

"And welcome, guests." The maids greeted Alice and Sarah with polite smiles.

"Peter's usually with the queen. We can try the audience chamber." Ace told the girls, leading them further into the castle. Just as Ace had suspected, they found Peter standing beside the queen's throne on the balcony overlooking the chamber.

"There you are—Peter White!" Alice yelled.

"…!" Peter gasped in surprise.

"I understand how you feel, Miss, but shouldn't we greet the queen fi—" Sarah started to suggest wisely, when the rabbit suddenly came leaping over the balcony railing.

"Alice!" Peter cried out with joy. "I knew you'd come! And you came so quickly…! My lady coming here proves she wants me near!" he cheered as he threw himself at her.

"Wai—" Alice cried out in alarm, but she needn't have worried. Sarah quickly pulled her mistress aside before the pervert could make contact, helping her dodge the rabbit's little love attack just in the nick of time.

"Aaagh!" Peter cried out in dismay as he crashed face first into the floor. "I love Alice, but you've earned my hate! Your unwanted interference makes me so irate!" he fumed at the maid with multiple veins throbbing on his forehead, getting ready to draw his gun.

"Are you out of your mind _!_?" Alice exclaimed incredulously, incredibly grateful to Sarah for the save. "Her 'interference' was totally wanted! I didn't _miss_ you! I just—"

"You over there. The two young girls." A commanding feminine voice spoke abruptly. "Are you outsiders?" the queen asked as they glanced up at her. Sarah's eyes widened in shock when she got a good look at the regal woman for the first time.

"Uh… Who are you?" Alice asked. A bead of nervous sweat slid down the side of her face.

"We are the Queen of Hearts. We are also called Vivaldi." The queen replied coolly. "Tell me, child. Why do cry?"

"Huh? I'm not…" Alice started to say, when she noticed that Sarah was trembling. Alice was astonished when she looked at her maid and realized tears were streaming down her face while she stared up at the queen with wide eyes, looking as though she had seen a ghost.

"… Eh?" Sarah said, blinking, as she snapped out of it and became aware of what she was doing. "Ah… Please forgive me, Your Majesty." She said politely with a shaky voice while she hurriedly wiped away her tears. "I meant no offense… It's just… you look like someone very dear to me…" The queen's hair and eye color may be different, but their faces were exactly the same. "You look so much like my ma… It really startled me… She died when I was young, you see."

"…!" Alice gasped, glancing between the queen and her maid in surprise. Sarah's mother? Alice knew that she had been very important to her... No wonder the poor thing was so shocked. She wished she knew what to say.

"… We see." The queen said thoughtfully, eyeing the two girls with a solemn expression upon her face. "What is your name?"

"Sarah Smith. I'm a maid in service to the Liddell Family. This is my mistress, Miss Alice Liddell." Sarah answered respectfully with a curtsey, giving Alice a proper introduction while she was at it.

"Sarah. You appear to have received quite a shock. Perhaps some tea will help calm you. Prepare some at once!" she ordered the maids. "We shall entertain our guests in the garden. We shall have you accompany us for teatime… Sarah and girl who is named Alice."

"Have you calmed down?" the Queen of Hearts asked once the tea had been served. Even though Sarah was a maid, Vivaldi had both girls seated equally at the table she was sharing with them.

"Yes. Thank you very much, Your Majesty." Sarah said quietly while she held the warm cup in her hands, inhaling the soothing scent of the tea. Although the queen and her mother had strikingly similar appearances (aside from Vivaldi's lack of brilliant ginger hair), the way the two women spoke and carried themselves was very different. "I really must apologize to you and Miss Alice again for acting so disgracefully in your audience chamber…" It reflected badly on the family when a servant couldn't keep it together.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Alice told her. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Thank you, Miss…" Sarah said with a small but grateful smile before attempting to shift the conversation to a less embarrassing topic. "It's very beautiful out here." She remarked, watching how the orange and scarlet light of the sunset reflected off the flowers and maze of hedges in the castle's garden.

"Yes, the evening is enjoyable." Vivaldi agreed. "It is a period of time we like."

"Psst! Alice!" Ace whisper-yelled to get her attention, leaning closer as he lowered his voice. "I'm gonna head for Julius' place now, so I wanted to say goodbye."

BANG!

" _!_?" Alice and Sarah both gasped in alarmed when Peter suddenly fired a shot between Alice and Ace.

"Step away, Ace. Now." The crazy rabbit said sternly, aiming his gun so the next shot would hit the knight. _"Give my Alice her space. By her side is not your place."_

"You can be pretty scary, Peter. I should probably get out of here." Ace remarked carelessly. "Bye, Alice! Bye, Sarah!" he told the girls with a bright smile as he turned to leave. "I'll see ya."

"Hmph. That man! He's always so rude." Peter fumed with a vein throbbing on his forehead.

'Says the man who fired his gun at a tea party…' Sarah thought as a bead of sweat slide down the side of her face, chagrined. This rabbit was mental! What if he hit Alice?

"You are loud, White." The queen said as she took a sip of her tea, annoyed. "Do you value your head?"

"…" Peter looked away, sulking.

'I don't think I can talk to Peter in a place this tense.' Alice thought as a bead of nervous sweat slid down the side of her face.

"It is to be noted." Vivaldi stated a little abruptly as she observed the adorable young girls sitting before her. "We well understand the depth of White's love for you outsiders. We may be able to love you, as well."

"My queen _!_?" Peter exclaimed loudly in alarm. "I care not for the other one, but Alice is mine! Please don't love her—I can certainly love her enough!"

"It cannot be helped, can it? As we said before, Alice is an outsider." the queen replied calmly. "And it seems that outsiders are those whom the inhabitants of this world may feel for."

'… What…?' Sarah thought, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion as she sweat-dropped. Why would they? What was so special about outsiders? An elegant queen with the same face as her poor, uneducated mother… was this really all just a dream? If so, then why not just have her mother appear before her as herself?

'That's weird.' Alice thought. 'Then does the fact that I'm having this dream… mean I want everyone to love me?'

"You, as outsiders, will someday go home… but while you are in this land, we shall grant you permission to stay at the castle." Vivaldi told the girls graciously.

"That's very kind of you." Sarah politely thanked the queen.

"Yes. Thank you, Vivaldi." Said Alice. "But we're already staying at the clock tower." Peter's ear twitched.

"The clock tower? You mean the home of Julius Monrey?" he asked with a frown.

"Is that so?" the queen said calmly, though she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "Then they have made their choice."

"But that can't be!" Peter protested. "Please, my dear! You can simply move here!" he pleaded anxiously with Alice.

'Yeah, right.' Both girls thought. There was no chance of that happening while _he_ was there.

"You need not push them to stay. They may visit the castle at any time." Said the queen.

"No! I don't care what happens to her extra baggage, but Alice should _live_ here! Don't you agree _!_?" Peter asked earnestly.

'Extra baggage…?' Alice thought, sweat-dropping, as she glanced at poor Sarah.

'Is that what he thinks of me?' the maid wondered dubiously, taking another sip of her tea.

"Enough!" Vivaldi ordered sternly.

"…!" Peter flinched, shutting his mouth immediately when he realized he was on the verge of pushing the queen too far. The light came on in the post lamps placed throughout the garden when the sky suddenly darkened.

"Oh, has it become night?" Alice said, glancing around.

"It has interrupted our pleasant moment. Evening is the only period of time that should exist!" Vivaldi huffed in disappointment.

"Now that you mention it… in this world, is it normal for time to be so scattered, Your Majesty?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Indeed. It changes without rules, and the next period cannot be predicted." The queen replied. "We can change the time period at will because we are 'one with duties'… but the rule is that it must not be changed without reason."

'One with duties…?' Sarah wondered.

"It is regrettable, however—night has ended out teatime." Vivaldi said, bringing their little tea party to a close.

"Oh, yeah. We should also…" Alice said, swaying a little, as she stood up. "… Get back…" she said, looking dazed as she held her head.

"Are you all right, Miss?" Sarah asked, feeling a bit sleepy herself. 'That's funny…' she thought, bemused. 'I didn't think I could get tired in a dream. I guess neither of us has slept since we got here, but still… really?'

"Ah… in such a state, you will be asleep before you reach the clock tower." The queen remarked when she noticed how tired the two girls suddenly looked. "You must rest at he castle, if only for now."

"Maybe we'll do that, thanks." Alice answered gratefully while Sarah swayed slightly on her feet.

"White, see them to the guest rooms." Vivaldi ordered.

"Yes, Majesty!" Peter responded brightly at the idea of Alice extending her stay, more than happy to comply.


	5. Chapter 5

**Previously:**

 _"It is regrettable, however—night has ended out teatime." Vivaldi said, bringing their little tea party to a close._

 _"Oh, yeah. We should also…" Alice said, swaying a little, as she stood up. "… Get back…" she said, looking dazed as she held her head._

 _"Are you all right, Miss?" Sarah asked, feeling a bit sleepy herself. 'That's funny…' she thought, bemused. 'I didn't think I could get tired in a dream. I guess neither of us has slept since we got here, but still… really?'_

 _"Ah… in such a state, you will be asleep before you reach the clock tower." The queen remarked when she noticed how tired the two girls suddenly looked. "You must rest at he castle, if only for now."_

 _"Maybe we'll do that, thanks." Alice answered gratefully while Sarah swayed slightly on her feet._

 _"White, see them to the guest rooms." Vivaldi ordered._

 _"Yes, Majesty!" Peter responded brightly at the idea of Alice extending her stay, more than happy to comply._

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Nightmare**

* * *

Alice stumbled slightly as they were making their way to the guest rooms, and Peter quickly grabbed his love to steady her before the drowsy Sarah even had a chance to react.

"You're not steady at all! Take my arm or you'll fall." Peter said urgently.

"I don't need your help! And stop touching me!" Alice retorted shortly, slapping his hand away. She chose to lean on Sarah for support instead, though the maid was hardly better off than herself. Peter was positively green with envy, but Alice was so attached to her maid, that he didn't dare do anything to hurt Sarah out of fear that doing so might anger Alice further.

"These rooms are for you." Peter announced when they reached two unoccupied rooms that were right next to each other. "In truth, I would prefer you in mine—" he said to Alice just as the girls were about to split up. Sarah paused outside her door in case Alice needed her.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." Alice scoffed angrily with a frown. "You've done nothing but assault me. I'm not getting near your room!"

"But I want you to love me back!" Peter said earnestly. "I would never force anything physical."

'You already _did_ force her.' Sarah thought, chagrined on her mistress's behalf.

'Did he forget that kiss?' Alice wondered, annoyed. "I'll never love you, okay? Get over it. And good night." She said bluntly, opening the door to her room.

"Fine. I understand." Peter said somberly. "The games you want to win never go well, do they? But if you don't love me… This is the world you wished for. As long as you're here… that's enough for now." He finished with a smile. "Good night, Alice… Sweet dreams…" He paused to spare a brief glance at Sarah. "Feel free not to wake up." He told the maid with a cold look in his eyes before turning to leave.

'… That mad bastard totally told me to die just now, didn't he?' Sarah thought with a vein throbbing on her forehead as she and Alice both sweat-dropped, chagrined. He clearly hated her guts for some reason. Not that she gave a rat's ass. "Are you all right, Miss?" Sarah asked her mistress once the demented rabbit was gone.

"Yeah… Let's get just get some rest while we can." Alice responded tiredly with a sigh.

"I'll be right next to you if you need me, Miss. But be sure to lock your door." Sarah said as they parted to enter their rooms.

Sarah let out a sigh as she shut the door behind her and kicked off her shoes before flopping onto the bed.

'What on earth was that rabbit talking about?' she wondered sleepily. 'Saying this is the world Miss Alice wished for… Is he trying to say that's why he brought her here? Why does he keep asking her to stay?' This place was so ridiculous it couldn't be anything short of a dream, but at the same time there was something about this strange world that felt incredibly real. If this was a dream, then eventually they'd wake up and leave, and there was nothing to worry about… but if it wasn't… 'I'm so exhausted…' she thought with an internal sigh as her eyes started to close. 'I can't think about this right now.'

"… Huh?" Sarah said when she opened her eyes again and found herself in the middle of a desolate wasteland. "Wait a second. Am I dreaming again? A dream inside a dream… that's a new one on me." She mused.

"You're right about that. You are inside a dream." A male voice said.

"Who's there?" Sarah asked warily, spinning around to face its owner. Why did she feel like she had heard that voice before?

"Hello. I'm Nightmare." Said the pale young man who had just spoken. Yet another attractive person with distinct features had appeared. Not only did he have an eye patch, but he was definitely hovering in midair. "I'm a dream demon—the embodiment of bad dreams." He finished introducing himself.

"Dream demon? Like an incubus _!_?" Sarah asked warily, taking up a defensive stance as she reeled back in alarm. Thanks to some of the books and stories she had read on the subject of monsters and demons, her imagination was running wild with all sorts of terrible and sexually deviant things that the handsome demon—who's real form was probably absolutely hideous—might do to her if she wasn't careful.

 _"Not that kind…!"_ Nightmare shouted, dropping to ground and blushing furiously out of embarrassment while trying to hide his nosebleed, looking as though he had just received a critical hit.

'I guess the weirdo parade continues…' Sarah thought, sweat-dropping.

"I can hear everything you're thinking, you know…" He told her, chagrined.

"Eh? _Really_?" She asked, blushing in surprise and embarrassment when she remembered the barrage of embarrassing things she had just pictured.

 _"Cut it out!"_ Nightmare yelled, doing his best to hold back another gusher. So much for the 'cool' and 'mysterious' image he had been trying to go for… Alice had been so much easier to deal with, though mistress and maid seemed to think alike since they had both made the same 'weirdo parade' comment.

'Uh… Sorry…?' Sarah thought, sweat-dropping again. For a demon, he seemed awfully weak. 'Hey, if you're a dream demon, then can you tell me why this one is so packed with boys?' she asked silently, deciding to test his telepathy with something tamer.

"'Dream,' huh?" he said with the hint of smirk, recovering quickly. "Fine, you can think of it that way."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sarah asked, furrowing her brow slightly. He was saying the same thing as Mr. Julius from the clock tower.

"Relax. It's fine. It's dream." The demon assured her with a smile.

 _"It's a dream."_

'Wha? He's the voice I've been hearin'!' she realized, taking a step back. The crease in her pretty brow deepened as she frowned. "I think I get it now." She said aloud. "You did all this, right? You're the one showing us this barmy world!"

"Actually, no. Peter White went to get Alice. I just connected everyone to this place. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to be able to tag along so easily since this game was initially set up with just Alice in mind, but you wouldn't have made it through unless it was something you truly wanted. You need this world just as much as Alice. This is the world the two of you wished for. A world where _you're_ wished for." Nightmare explain calmly. "Everyone in this world is going to fall in love with you girls. And that includes me. I love you too. Of course, in your case it may take a little time for the others to come around…"

"Yeah, I know. It's 'cause I'm so hard to love, right?" Sarah asked cynically. "Well, I guess that makes sense." On what planet would everyone trip over themselves for someone like her? And it would explain why Alice was suddenly younger. She must have been reverted back to a time when she could still smile. An Alice who couldn't remember all the terrible things that had hurt her. "In other words, deep down, I'm a sad, lonely little girl who wants everyone to love me… So what? Who doesn't want to be loved _!_?" she retorted defiantly, clenching her fists.

"Well, you're a little more honest with yourself than your mistress…" Nightmare said with a smile. "But I think you're being a bit hard on yourself. You didn't let me finish. I was going to say it might take time because this game was intended for Alice. We don't normally take in two outsiders at once, so they'll probably be drawn more to _her_ at first, but I think they'll like you once they get to know you. The people in this world are naturally drawn to outsiders."

"Give me a break. I wouldn't want to be loved just for that." Sarah said with a frown. Neither would Alice. "I guess my subconscious must be pretty weak and twisted to think of something like this."

"Sarah. _Neither_ you _nor_ Alice created this world. It was here from the start." Said Nightmare.

"So it's not just a pathetic delusion? It has to be in my head. Aside from Miss Alice, everyone who loves me is gone." Sarah retorted hotly, clenching her fists as she bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

"That's not true. This place has people who love you." Nightmare said gently. "It's not that everyone will love you _immediately_. But let them get to know you, and they'll love you more and more. Many of them will love you and Alice. And some, no one else but _you_."

"That's… impossible. I don't Adam and Eve it!" she said stubbornly with flushed cheeks, looking as though she was on the verge of crying. She was so upset that she had slipped back into her old cockney accent. That kind of thing was impossible. As soon as people found out the truth about her, they rejected her. Not even Alice knew everything. "You're a devil after all, aren't you _!_? Tryin' to tempt me into…"

"I'm Nightmare." He said. "I think that's scarier than a devil. Devils make people descend into hell, right? But I make people descend into dreams."

"But people can _wake up_ from dreams." She pointed out. "Dreams aren't nearly as scary as hell."

"…" Nightmare stared at her for a moment. He raised his hand and pointed off into the distance. "What do you think lies beyond a dream?" he asked.

"Huh? Nothin'." She answered, wondering where he was trying to go with this. "There's nothin' beyond a dream. They just end!"

"Exactly." Nightmare said slyly, leaning down to close the distance between them. "When you wake up from a dream, there's nothing left but _reality_." Sarah's eyes widened and she suddenly felt a heavy, sinking feeling in her gut. The demon's voice began to echo as her surroundings started to fade away.

 _"Dreams are terrifying because there's an end."_

 _"I'm sure you, of all people, understand only too well what I mean by that, Sarah."_

 _"So think carefully before you try to 'wake up'."_

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Sarah's eyes popped open at the sound of someone knocking on her door. She could see from the sunlight streaming through her window that night had changed to day while she was asleep, but she was still in her guest room at the castle.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

'What a weird dream…' Sarah thought with a sigh as she slipped her shoes back on to answer the door. As expected, she found herself facing a disgruntled Alice.

"Come on, let's go. This place is starting to give me the creeps." Alice said bluntly, pulling her maid along without bothering to wait for a reply.

"… Did something happen, Miss?" Sarah asked. Was it just her imagination, or did Alice look more tired _after_ her nap?

"Huh? Well, not really…" Alice said rather cryptically, sweat-dropping.

"…" Sarah stared at her.

"Okay, fine!" Alice caved, feeling a little flustered under her maid's intense scrutiny. There was no fooling Sarah. "It had a weird dream… Well, more like a _nightmare_." She admitted, chagrined just thinking about it.

"… It didn't involve a man wearing an eye patch and calling himself a 'dream demon', did it, Miss?" Sarah asked with a straight face.

"Eh? How did you know _!_?" Alice asked, taken aback. "Don't tell me you also…" Sarah nodded.

"…" For a moment the two girls stood in silence.

"This is so weird!" Alice said as she held a hand to her head, feeling exasperated. "Are you telling me we _both_ had the same dream within a dream?"

"Well, technically we're both sharing the same one now, Miss…" Sarah quipped, though the more the 'demon' insisted this was all a dream, the more inclined she felt to doubt it. Now it was Alice's turn to stare at Sarah.

"… This is so messed up. I think it's starting to give me a headache." Alice eventually said with a sigh, sweat-dropping, while she massaged her temples.


End file.
